Molded gas barrier parts for vacuum insulated structure

ABSTRACT

A method of fabricating a vacuum insulated appliance structure includes molding a first layer of a first polymer material. A second layer of a second polymer material is molded to (e.g. over) at least a portion of the first layer, and a third layer of a third polymer material is molded to (e.g. over) at least a portion of the second layer to form a first component. At least one of the layers is impervious to one or more gasses. One or more additional components are secured to the first component to form a vacuum cavity. The vacuum cavity is filled with a porous material, and the vacuum cavity is evacuated to form a vacuum.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/016,102, filed Jun. 22, 2018, which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/982,652, filed Dec. 29, 2015, andentitled “INJECTION MOLDED GAS BARRIER PARTS FOR VACUUM INSULATEDSTRUCTURE,” now U.S. Pat. No. 10,030,905, the entire disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various types of vacuum insulated refrigerator cabinets and doors havebeen developed. However, known methods of fabricating vacuum insulatedstructures may suffer from various drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is a method of fabricating a vacuuminsulated appliance structure. The method includes injecting a firstlayer of a first thermoplastic polymer material. A second layer of asecond thermoplastic polymer material is injection molded over at leasta portion of the first layer, and a third layer of a third thermoplasticpolymer material is injection molded over at least a portion of thesecond layer to form an elongated trim breaker. The elongated trimbreaker includes first and second elongated channels. The methodincludes inserting an edge portion of a wrapper into the first channel,and inserting an edge portion of a liner into the second channel to forma vacuum cavity. The vacuum cavity is filled with a porous material, andthe vacuum cavity is evacuated. At least one of the first, second, andthird polymer materials is impervious to at least one atmospheric gas.The second layer may be thinner than the first and third layers, and thesecond layer may comprise EVOH (Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol) or LCP (LiquidCrystal Polymer). One or both of the first and third layers may compriseone or more of a nylon, a co-polyester, HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene),PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), or PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) material.The wrapper and liner may comprise sheet metal, or polymer structureshaving first, second, and third layers formed by injection molding in amanner that is similar to the injection molding process used to form theelongated trim breaker. The wrapper and liner may comprise refrigeratorcabinet members, refrigerator door components, or other vacuum insulatedstructures.

Another aspect of the present invention is a method of fabricating avacuum insulated appliance structure. The method includes molding afirst layer of a first thermoplastic polymer material. A second layer ofa second thermoplastic polymer material is molded over at least aportion of the first layer. The second material is selected from thegroup consisting of EVOH and LCP. A third layer of a third thermoplasticpolymer material is molded over at least a portion of the second layerto form a first component. The method includes securing a secondcomponent to the first component to form a vacuum cavity therebetween.The vacuum cavity is filled with a filler material, and the vacuumcavity is evacuated. The first and third layers may comprise materialsselected from the group consisting of PVC, PET, HIPS, a co-polyester andnylon. At least one of the first and third layers may include astructural reinforcement of increased thickness that is formed duringthe molding process. The vacuum insulated appliance structure maycomprise a refrigerator cabinet, refrigerator door, or other applianceor refrigerator component. One or more of the first, second, and thirdlayers may be molded utilizing an injection molding process.

These and other features, advantages, and objects of the presentdisclosure will be further understood and appreciated by those skilledin the art by reference to the following specification, claims, andappended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a refrigerator;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of a refrigerator cabinet;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a refrigerator door;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a door liner showing the inner side ofthe door liner;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the door liner of FIG. 4 taken alongthe line V-V;

FIG. 6 is a partially fragmentary isometric view showing an injectionmolded structural reinforcement feature;

FIG. 7 is a partially schematic view of a mold utilized for a firstinjection;

FIG. 8 is a partially schematic view of a mold utilized for a secondinjection;

FIG. 9 is a partially schematic view of a mold utilized for a thirdinjection;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of a vacuum insulated refrigeratorstructure according to one aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the trim breaker of FIG. 2 takenalong the line XI-XI; and

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of the trim breaker of FIG. 3 takenalong the line XII-XII.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the disclosure as oriented in FIG. 1. However,it is to be understood that the disclosure may assume variousalternative orientations and step sequences, except where expresslyspecified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specificdevices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, anddescribed in the following specification, are simply exemplaryembodiments of the concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence,specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to thedisclosures herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless theclaims expressly state otherwise.

With reference to FIG. 1, a refrigerator 1 may include a vacuuminsulated cabinet structure 2, and one or more doors 4 and 6 that aremovably mounted to the cabinet 2. The cabinet 2 may include an insulatedfresh food compartment 10 that is accessible by opening doors 4 and 6,and a frozen food compartment 12 that can be accessed by opening drawer8. Refrigerator 1 may include an interior partition 17 (FIG. 2) toseparate compartments 10 and 12. Partition 17 may be integrally formedwith liner 20. For example, liner 20 may comprise a two piece structurewith separate upper and lower components, with an upper horizontal(planar) side wall 17A of the lower component being positioned adjacenta lower horizontal (planar) side wall 17B of the upper component to formpartition 17. Refrigerator 1 may also include an ice/water dispenser 14mounted to door 4. Refrigerator 1 includes a cooling system (not shown)that may be mounted in a machine space 16 (see also FIG. 2) located in alower rear portion of the refrigerator 1. The cooling system maycomprise a compressor, condenser, evaporator, and other relatedcomponents. Alternatively, the cooling system may comprise athermoelectric system that utilizes thermoelectric elements.

With further reference to FIG. 2, cabinet 2 may comprise an outerwrapper 18 and an inner liner 20 that fits within the wrapper 18 whenassembled. A trim breaker 22 may be utilized to seal front edge 24 ofwrapper 18 to front edge 26 of liner 20. Trim breaker 23 may include anintegrally formed cross part 23 extending over interior partition 17.The wrapper 18 and/or liner 20, and/or trim breaker 22 may comprisemulti-layer polymer structures that are impervious to atmospheric gassessuch as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and/or othergasses. These multi-layer structures may be formed utilizing a multistepinjection molding process discussed below. Alternatively, only one ortwo of the components 18, 20, and 22 may be fabricated utilizing amultistep injection process. For example, wrapper 18 could compriseformed sheet metal, and liner 20 and trim breaker 22 could comprise amultilayer polymer structure. Also, one or more (or all) of thecomponents 18, 20 and 22 may be formed utilizing a thermoformingprocess. Trim breaker 22 is preferably formed from one or more materials(e.g. polymers) having low thermal conductivity to thermally isolateliner 20 from wrapper 18. Various features such as ribs or raisedportions 28 may be formed in liner 20, wrapper 18, and/or trim breaker22 during the injection molding process as described in more detailbelow. As discussed in more detail below, the liner 20 and exteriorwrapper 18 form an interior space or cavity between liner 20 and wrapper18 when assembled, and the interior cavity is filled with a porousmaterial. The cavity is then evacuated to form a vacuum insulatedstructure.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the doors 4 and 6 and/or drawer 8 mayinclude a liner 30, a trim breaker 22A (see also FIG. 12) and anexterior wrapper or panel 32. The door liner 30 and exterior wrapper 32may comprise multi-layer polymer structures that are impervious togasses. These structures may be fabricated according to a processdiscussed below. Liner 30 may comprise shelves 34, raised reinforcingfeatures 36, or other such three dimensional features that are formedduring an injection molding process. Alternatively, the door liner 30and/or wrapper 32 may be formed from sheet metal. If door liner 30 isformed from sheet metal, it may have a generally planar configurationthat does not include shelves 36 or other such complex three dimensionalfeatures.

With further reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a liner 30A includes first,second, and third layers of polymer material 38, 40, and 42,respectively. The first layer 38 may form an interior side 44 of liner30A. Layer 38 may include raised portions 46, grooves or lower portionssuch as linear channels 48, a perimeter channel 50, and reinforcing ribs52 and 54 that extend across the grooves 48 and perimeter channel 50,respectively. As discussed below, a molding process (e.g. injectionmolding) according to the present disclosure provides for formation ofcomplex three dimensional features such as raised portions 46, groovesand channels 48 and 50, respectively, and ribs 52 and 54, respectively.

In a liner, wrapper, trim breaker, or other component having a firstmaterial combination, the first layer 38 and third layer 42 may comprisea nylon thermoplastic material, and the second layer 40 may comprise arelatively thin layer of Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol (EVOH) or Liquid CrystalPolymer (LCP). According to another aspect of the present disclosure, asecond material combination of a liner 30A or other component (e.g.,wrapper or trim breaker) may include a first layer 38 and third layer 42that comprise a High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS), and the second layer 40may comprise a relatively thin layer of a barrier material such as EVOHor LCP. Typically, second layer 40 is just thick enough to provide aneffective barrier (e.g. to oxygen), but second layer 40 is typicallysignificantly thinner than layers 38 and 42 to thereby minimize theamount of the barrier material (layer 40) of the multilayer structure.In general, EVOH is a good barrier to oxygen, but it is not aparticularly good barrier with respect to water vapor. Accordingly, oneor both of the layers 38 and/or 42 may comprise a material that providesa water vapor barrier. For example, layer 38 and/or layer 42 couldcomprise barrier nylon or a liquid crystal polymer (LCP). An optionalfourth layer 44A or 44B (FIG. 6) of material such as Tetrafluoroethylene(THV), Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), Cyclic Olefin Copolymer(COC), Cyclic Olefin Polymer (COP) or High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)providing a water vapor barrier may be injection molded between layers38 and 40 or between layers 40 and 42. One or both layers 38 and 42 maycomprise one or more of nylon, HIPS, PVC, PET, or a co-polyester andlayer 40 may comprise one or more of EVOH or LCP.

In general, the materials utilized to form layers 38, 40, 42 and/oradditional layers may be chosen to provide specific barrier propertieswith respect to oxygen transmission, water vapor transmission,structural properties, and cost considerations. It will be understoodthat an insulated structure may comprise various components such as awrapper, liner, and trim breaker, each having layers of substantiallyidentical materials or the components may comprise layers of differentmaterials. For example, a component such as a cabinet or door may have aliner and/or a trim breaker comprising the first material combinationdiscussed above, and a wrapper comprising the second materialcombination discussed above. Layer 38 may have a thickness of about 0.5mm to about 3.0 mm, layer 40 may have a thickness of about 0.05 mm toabout 0.5 mm, and layer 42 may have a thickness of about 0.5 mm to about3.0 mm. In general, optional layers 44A or 44B have a thickness selectedto provide a water vapor barrier as required for a particularapplication. However, it will be understood that the layers may havevirtually any thickness, and one or more of the layers may have regionsof increased or decreased thickness.

With further reference to FIG. 6, the component 10A may be molded toinclude additional structural features such as a screw boss 56 thatreceives a threaded insert 58. The ribs 52, 54 and/or screw boss 56 orother such features may be formed by injection molding at the time firstand/or third layers 38 and 42 are being formed. It will be understoodthat a wide range of three dimensional features may be formed during theinjection molding process whereby layer 38 and/or 42 have a non-uniformthickness.

With further reference to FIGS. 7-9, a molding tool 60 includes a lowermold part 64, and first, second, and third upper parts 62A, 62B, and62C, respectively. During a first molding step (FIG. 7), molten polymermaterial is injected through ports 68A in mold part 62A as shown by thearrows “A.” The molten material flows into a first mold cavity 66Adefined by mold parts 62A and 64 to form a first layer 38 (FIG. 8).After the first polymer material is injected, additional polymermaterial is injected through ports 68B as shown by the arrows “B” (FIG.8) to fill a second cavity 66B defined by mold tools 62B and 64 to forma second layer 40 (FIG. 9) that extends over at least a portion of firstlayer 38. With further reference to FIG. 9, a third polymer material isthen injected through ports 68C of mold part 62C as shown by the arrows“C” to fill cavity 66C and form a third layer 42 (see also FIGS. 5 and6). The mold part 62C may include one or more cavities or other features70A-70D that form ribs 52, 54 and/or screw bosses 56 and/or other such3D features whereby the component formed by the tooling/process of FIGS.7-9 has a non-uniform thickness. The mold part 64 may also include oneor more cavities or other such features that are similar to the features70A-70D to thereby form three dimensional features in first layer 38.The layers 38, 40, 42 may comprise one or more of the thermoplasticpolymer materials discussed above. For example, layers 38 and/or 42 maycomprise one or more of nylon, a co-polyester, LCP, HIPS, or PVC, andlayer 40 may comprise one or more of EVOH, LCP, or other suitablebarrier material. It will be understood that a fourth layer 44A (FIG. 6)of material such as THV, PCTFE, COC, COP, or HDPE may be injectionmolded over first layer 38, and layer 40 may be molded over the fourthlayer 44A. Alternatively, a fourth layer 44B may be molded over layer40, and layer 42 may then be molded over the fourth layer 44B. It willbe understood that molding over is not necessarily limited to moldinglayers or other features on top of or above another layer, but ratherbroadly describes molding two or more different materials together. Forexample, the mold parts 62A, 62B, 62C, and 64 of FIGS. 7-9 could havevirtually any orientation or configuration, and mold tools/parts 62A,62B and 62C do not necessarily need to be above mold tool/part 64.

With further reference to FIG. 10 a vacuum insulated refrigeratorstructure such as a cabinet 2, doors 4, 6, and/or drawer 8, and/or atrim breaker 22 may include an outer component such as wrapper 18 orexterior panel 32, and an interior liner 20 or 30. The components 18,20, 30, and/or 32 may comprise three or more layers of polymer material38, 40, and 42 that are configured to provide a barrier to gas asdiscussed above. For example, one or both layers 38 and 42 may compriseone or more of nylon, a co-polyester, HIPS, PVC, and layer 40 maycomprise one or more of EVOH or LCP. The components 18, 20, 30, and 32may have substantially identical construction (i.e., the same polymermaterial layers), or the components 18, 20, 30, and 32 may comprisedifferent polymer materials forming layers 38, 40, 42.

During assembly, perimeter edge portions or flanges 72 and 74 of thewrapper 18 and liner 20 are sealed together to form an interior space76. A trim breaker 22 (FIG. 2) or trim breaker 22A (FIG. 3) mayoptionally be used to physically interconnect the perimeters of wrapper18 and liner 20 and to thermally isolate wrapper 18 from liner 20 toreduce heat transfer from wrapper 18 to liner 20 and visa-versa. Theinterior space 76 is then filled with silica powder 78 or other suitablematerial, and a vacuum is formed in the interior space 76. The vacuummay be formed by placing the assembled structure in a vacuum chamber(not shown), and an access opening or port in wrapper 18 and/or liner 20may then be closed and sealed to seal off interior space 76. Theassembly is then removed from the vacuum chamber. Once the interiorspace 76 is sealed, the vacuum assembly forms a vacuum insulatedrefrigerator structure such as cabinet 2, doors 4, 6, drawer 8, or othersuch refrigerator structure. If the structure comprises a refrigeratorcabinet 2, a trim breaker 22 may be utilized to seal edge 24 of wrapper18 to edge 26 of liner 20 as discussed above in connection with FIG. 2.If the vacuum insulated refrigerator structure comprises a door, aresilient seal strip 80 or the like may be positioned adjacent edgeportions 72 and 74 to thereby seal the door 4 or 6 (or drawer 8) when ina closed position.

With further reference to FIG. 11, trim breaker 22 may comprise a firstlayer 38A, a second layer 40A, and a third layer 42A. The layers 38A,40A, and 42A may be formed utilizing an injection molding process asdiscussed above in connection with FIGS. 7-9. In a preferred embodiment,first layer 38A and third layer 42A are formed from the same polymermaterial. The layers 40A and 42A may be formed from a co-polyester, PVC,PET, nylon, or HIPS. Second layer 40A comprises a barrier layer that maybe formed from EVOH, LCP, or other material that is impervious orsubstantially impervious to oxygen permeation. The polymer material(e.g. PVC or PET) of the layers 38A and 42A protect the inner layer 40Afrom moisture. It will be understood that the layers 38A and 42A maymelt together in the regions 82A-82E to thereby encapsulate the secondor inner layer 40A. Thus, if the layers 38A and 42A comprise the samepolymer material, the outer layers 38A and 42A may form a substantiallycontinuous one piece outer structure that completely encapsulates theinner barrier layer 40A.

Trim breaker 22 includes a first elongated channel 84, and a secondelongated channel 86. An edge portion 26 of wrapper 18 is received inchannel 84, and edge portion 26 of liner 20 is received in channel 86.The channels 84 and 86 may be filled with an adhesive/sealant (notshown) such as silicone, epoxy, or other suitable material to secure thetrim breaker 22 to the wrapper 18 and liner 20, and to ensure that theinterior space 76 is sealed whereby a vacuum can be formed in theinterior space 76. As discussed above, the wrapper 18 and/or liner 20may be formed from sheet metal or other suitable material. For example,wrapper 18 may comprise sheet metal, and liner 20 may comprise polymerlayers 38, 40, 42. As shown in FIG. 11, first and second channels 84 and86 may face in substantially the same direction, and the channels 84 and86 may extend substantially parallel to one another. Referring again toFIG. 2, the channels 84 and 86 may extend around substantially theentire perimeter of trim breaker 22 (FIG. 2) and along cross member 23if trim breaker 22 includes a cross member 23. Trim breaker 22preferably comprises a one piece continuous ring forming an enlargedcentral opening 25. Opening 25 may include an upper portion 25A and alower portion 25B if trim breaker 22 includes a cross structure 23.

Trim breaker 22 provides an airtight seal that is substantiallyimpervious to water vapors and/or other gasses to thereby permit avacuum to be maintained in the interior space 76. Also, because the trimbreaker 22 is formed from polymer materials having relatively lowthermal conductivity, very little heat is transferred from wrapper 18 toliner 20 and vise-versa.

With further reference to FIG. 12, a trim breaker 22A may be utilized ina door 4, 6, or 8 (see also FIG. 3). Trim breaker 22A includes layers38A, 40A, and 42A that may be constructed from substantially the samematerials as discussed above in connection with the trim breaker 22 ofFIG. 11. Trim breaker 22A includes a first channel 88 that receives anedge portion 33 of door wrap 32. Trim breaker 22A also includes a secondchannel 90 that includes an edge portion 31 of a door liner 30. Thechannels 88 and 90 may be filled with an adhesive/sealant to ensure thatthe edges 31 and 33 of liner 30 and wrapper 32, respectively, are sealedand secured to the trim breaker 22A. Channels 88 and 90 may face insubstantially the same direction as shown in FIG. 12, and extendparallel around the perimeter of a door 4, 6, 8, etc. to form aring-like or “picture frame” structure. Trim breaker 22A is imperviousto air, water vapor, and/or other gasses to enable the formation of anairtight vacuum in interior space 76. Trim breaker 22A is preferablymade from polymer materials having a low coefficient of thermalconductivity to thereby thermally insulate the door liner 30 from thedoor wrap 32. As discussed above, door liner 30 and door wrap 32 may bemade from metal or multi-layer polymer materials.

It is to be understood that variations and modifications can be made onthe aforementioned structure without departing from the concepts of thepresent disclosure, and further it is to be understood that suchconcepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless theseclaims by their language expressly state otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of fabricating a vacuum insulatedrefrigerator structure, the method comprising: molding a first layer ofa first thermoplastic polymer material; molding a second layer of asecond thermoplastic polymer material over at least a portion of thefirst layer; molding a third layer of a third thermoplastic polymermaterial over at least a portion of the second layer to form a firstcomponent; securing a second component to the first component to form avacuum cavity therebetween; filling the vacuum cavity with a porousmaterial; evacuating the vacuum cavity; wherein at least one of thefirst and third layers includes a structural reinforcement of increasedthickness formed during the injection molding process, and wherein atleast one of the first, second, and third polymer materials isimpervious to at least one atmospheric gas.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein: at least one of molding the first, second, and third layerscomprises injection molding.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: thestructural reinforcement comprises at least one of a rib and a screwboss.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein: the second layer comprisesEVOH; and the second layer is thinner than the first and third layers.5. The method of claim 1, wherein: at least one of the first and thirdlayers comprises one or more materials selected from the groupconsisting of a nylon material and a HIPS material.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein: the vacuum insulated refrigerator structure comprisesa refrigerator cabinet or a refrigerator door.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein: the first component comprises a refrigerator cabinet liner, andthe second component comprises a refrigerator cabinet wrapper.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein: the refrigerator cabinet wrapper is formedfrom sheet metal.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein: the refrigeratorcabinet wrapper is formed by injection molding first, second, and thirdlayers of the thermoplastic polymer materials, wherein at least one ofthe first, second, and third layers is impervious to at least oneatmospheric gas.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein: the wrapper and theliner each include a generally planar central wall portion, and foursidewalls that extend transversely from the central wall portion.
 11. Amethod of fabricating a vacuum insulated appliance structure, the methodcomprising: molding a first layer of a first thermoplastic polymermaterial; molding a second layer of a second thermoplastic polymermaterial onto at least a portion of the first layer; molding a thirdlayer of a third thermoplastic polymer material onto at least a portionof the second layer to form an elongated trim breaker having first andsecond elongated channels; inserting an edge portion of a wrapper intothe first channel, and inserting an edge portion of a liner into thesecond channel to form a vacuum cavity; filling the vacuum cavity with aporous material; evacuating the vacuum cavity; wherein at least one ofthe first, second, and third polymer materials is impervious to at leastone atmospheric gas.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein: the first andsecond channels are parallel; and the first and second channels face inthe same direction.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein: the secondlayer comprises EVOH or LCP; the second layer is thinner than the firstand third layers; and at least one of the first and third layerscomprises a nylon material and/or a HIPS material.
 14. The method ofclaim 11, wherein: at least one of the first and third layers comprisesat least one material selected from the group consisting of PVC, aco-polyester, and PET.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein: the liner isformed by injection molding first, second, and third layers of thethermoplastic polymer materials, wherein at least one of the first,second, and third layers of the liner is impervious to at least oneatmospheric gas.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein: at least one ofthe first and third layers of the liner includes a structuralreinforcement of increased thickness formed during the molding process.17. The method of claim 11, wherein: at least one of the first, second,and third layers are molded utilizing an injection molding process. 18.A vacuum insulated appliance structure, comprising: a first componenthaving first and third layers molded to opposite sides of a secondlayer; wherein the first layer comprises a first thermoplastic polymermaterial; wherein the second layer comprises a second thermoplasticpolymer material, and wherein the second thermoplastic polymer materialis selected from the group consisting of EVOH and LCP; wherein the thirdlayer comprises a third thermoplastic polymer; wherein the first andthird layers form a substantially continuous one piece outer structurethat completely encapsulates the second layer; a second componentsecured to the first component to form a cavity therebetween; porousfiller material disposed in the cavity wherein the cavity is evacuatedto form a vacuum; and wherein the first and third layers comprisematerials selected from the group consisting of PVC, PET, HIPS, aco-polyester, and nylon.
 19. The vacuum insulated appliance structure ofclaim 18, wherein: the second component comprises a wrapper sealinglyconnected to the first component; and including: a liner sealinglyconnected to the first component, wherein the liner is spaced apart fromthe wrapper to form an edge gap, and wherein the first componentcomprises a trim breaker that spans the edge gap.
 20. The vacuuminsulated appliance structure of claim 19, wherein: at least one of thewrapper and the liner are metal.